Woke Canadian deported for slapping teens wearing MAGA clothing faces one final humiliation as she's banished from the US

A Canadian woman who was ordered to be deported after slapping a teenage girl for wearing MAGA attire failed to raise even half the funds requested for her legal defense.

Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, was caught on camera pummeling a girl on a Jersey Shore boardwalk during Fourth of July celebrations before turning herself in days later when investigators reviewed surveillance footage and issued a warrant for her arrest.

At the time of the assault, she had overstayed her visa and was in the US illegally, so she was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and held in the agency's notorious Delaney Hall detention facility. 

She was then recently transferred to ICE’s processing center in Laredo, Texas. She attended a hearing in the state by phone on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and was ordered to be deported by a judge.

Before those court proceedings, an online fundraiser for Tracey's legal defense was organized in mid-July. The goal was set at $10,000, but as of Wednesday evening, it has only raised $4,857.

Earlier that month, Tracey's husband, Matthew Geroni, 42, had set up a GoFundMe for the same purpose, but the website soon took it down. 

Geroni told the Daily Mail at the time that the fundraiser was shut down because it had been reported by 'MAGA people.' 

The newer online fundraiser, established on the website GiveSendGo, likewise claimed, 'Our original GoFundMe campaign was removed and all donations were refunded after a coordinated mass-reporting campaign by a Facebook group targeted the fundraiser.'

However, GoFundMe policies clearly dictate that fundraisers on the platform are not allowed if they are raising money for someone accused of crimes. 

Tracey, who was dubbed the 'Maple Leaf Menace' in an X post by the Department of Homeland Security, confronted a group of teenagers on July 3 who were wearing 'patriotic colored' clothes, which were reportedly emblazoned with 'Trump' and 'ICE', before she slapped one of the teens.

In the footage of the assault, Tracey could be seen striking the teenager once on the shoulder before squaring up and delivering another blow across the girl's face.

She was initially charged with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment and obstruction. Her more serious charges were dropped by prosecutors in exchange for her guilty plea on Tuesday. 

In addition to the deportation, she was also sentenced to one day in jail, but she was granted time served for the days she spent behind bars in Ocean County after turning herself in.

Although Tracey was in the US illegally at the time of the assault, her lawyer, Francis Hodgson, attempted to paint her in a positive light during Tuesday's hearing.

'She met her husband and didn’t leave, but while she was [here], she maintained employment and was a productive member of society,' Hodgson told the judge.

The lawyer simply described the attack as 'unfortunate,' and said his client has 'taken responsibility for her role in it, and this is a reasonable judgment, Judge, that is consistent with other similar-type matters that happen every day during the summer on this boardwalk.'

Prosecutors said that the family of the victim, who was identified only by the initials MH due to her age, was okay with the plea deal.

Judge Guy P Ryan read an impact statement from the family and said: 'The parents recite that, "Thank goodness for cameras and cell phones to have documented this incident."'

The victim and her family 'look forward to justice being served, and they thank all the agencies involved,' the judge added.

It is unclear exactly when Tracey will be deported back to Canada and how long she will be prohibited from returning to the US, though the judge said he expects it to be 'a very long time.'

Tracey's husband, Geroni, provided a different account of the attack on the teen when he spoke to the Daily Mail last month.

He claimed the group of teenagers 'provoked' Tracey and were causing mayhem on the Jersey Shore boardwalk, alleging that they 'pushed and shoved' her during the confrontation.

Geroni said the teenagers had been 'provoking' many people along the boardwalk, but singled out his wife because she was wearing 'punk' clothing that clashed with their MAGA attire. 'They were wearing ICE merch,' he said.

The husband said police at the scene let Tracey leave and described it as a 'nothing-burger,' but said investigators then reviewed a short surveillance clip of the confrontation that led to a warrant being issued for her arrest, which Geroni said was 'out of context.'

Geroni said that Tracey was almost freed from the Ocean County jail before being hit with an immigration detainer at the last minute.

Tracey's husband, who often shares social media posts attacking Republicans, including wishing for Mitch McConnell to die and for the Trump family to get cancer, said he believes Donald Trump is partially to blame for the hostility.

'Trump is emboldening these people. They're proud of their hate, not love,' he said.

When asked how he squares this stance with his social media posts about McConnell, Geroni said it was 'not the same', and answered: 'What are we even talking about here bro?'

Geroni said he and his wife love their lives in Ocean Beach, but he would move to Canada if needed. 'I would do anything to be with my wife,' he said.